Change oil before or after storage?

[99gst_racer]

I'll be putting my DSM up for storage for the winter in about a month. And It's about due for an oil change. Should I change my oil before I store it and should I change the oil next spring when I get it out of storage? I know this may sould like a dumb question, but I wasn't sure if there were any negative affects about letting it sit all winter with dirty oil. Or letting brand new oil sit for 6 months w/o starting.... What do you guys think? Please no flaming....

 

[WI_99'GST]

well either way you should probably change it when you take it OUT of storage. I dont change mine before i store it, so it depends on what you want. I dont have any problems of having oldER oil sitting in the car over winter. But even tho its synthetic i still change it when i take it out, force of habit. Will you be storing it in a "climate controlled environmet" or someplace the cold will get to it. You might want to throw some Sta-bill in the gas tank, i THINK thats for cold weather storing, but im not 100% on that.

 

[Jafro]

...I wasn't sure if there were any negative affects about letting it sit all winter with dirty oil. Or letting brand new oil sit for 6 months w/o starting.... What do you guys think? Please no flaming....

I drain my bathwater after I take a bath! j/k

Change it before you store it. Dirty oil stains and sludges.

If you store it indoors where the temperature doesn't change much, there won't be enough condensation to warrant another change, but if it's stored in a humid place or anywhere outdoors or where the temperature changes drastically... by all means change it again.

 

[99gst_racer]

I drain my bathwater after I take a bath! j/k

Change it before you store it. Dirty oil stains and sludges.

If you store it indoors where the temperature doesn't change much, there won't be enough condensation to warrant another change, but if it's stored in a humid place or anywhere outdoors or where the temperature changes drastically... by all means change it again.

Well, I'll change it before I put it up for storage, and it will sit in a cold indoor non-heated garage all winter. Should I change it again upon taking it out in the Spring?? Or will it be OK to drive with?? BTW - I'm also using synthetic oil.

 

[96TSi_Chris]

Why not change it before and after to solve all worries. Its only like 50 bucks.

 

[99gst_racer]

Why not change it before and after to solve all worries. Its only like 50 bucks.

Yeah I guess, it just seems like a waste though ...... 2 oil changes w/o even starting or driving it in between.....

 

[Shifty]

How bout this, change it now.

You know how around march there will be a couple days that you can take it out, then the next day it snows or rains... something to make you put it back in storage.... Well how about you just change it when the outlook for snow is DONE. Works for me.

 

[Defiant]

Should I change my oil before I store it and should I change the oil next spring when I get it out of storage? I know this may sould like a dumb question,

Well, it isn't, really. The oil you have in there now has been working at neutralizing contaminants that have been blown past the rings by combustion pressures, some of those acidic. If you're one of those 3,000-mile oil people, you're still fine. You'd have a slight edge in changing the oil before storage, but depending on whether it's in a mostly-controlled-temperature location- the biggest stress stored oil deals with is condensation inside the crankcase if the temperatures wander around enough. The oil should have done enough of a job coating the inside of the block and the cams that corrosion won't be an issue, as well as the fumes displacing the free oxygen. Plugging the cam cover vent, PCV valve, intake and exhaust tracts (at the turbo inlet and tailpipes) will complete that part of the job.
More crucial than oil, throw in some STA-BIL for the gas, and fill the tank before parking it.
I'd also beef-up the antifreeze ratio, maybe even go to 100%. Leave the windows cracked about ¼", and put in a low-power air freshener of your liking.

 

[me612]

throw in some STA-BIL for the gas, and fill the tank before parking it.
I'd also beef-up the antifreeze ratio, maybe even go to 100%. Leave the windows cracked about ¼", and put in a low-power air freshener of your liking.

Good advice right there. That's exactly how all of us prep our cars before storing em and heading out on deployments. Put STABIL in the tank and fill it up to the brim so condensation in the tank isn't as much of a problem. Crack the windows just ever so slighty so you could see light thru the crack, so the changing air pressure in the car doesn't blow out the glass (which happened to a few unlucky people). Then of course we'd disconnect the battery. I can't count the number of people we'd end up jumping before we left. We just started parking closer to the gate that way people couldn't jump out and stop us as we're leaving to get a jump, damn rookies.

 

[99gst_racer]

Defiant and me612 - Thanks for the advice. I've decided to change the oil before and after.... Just to be on the safe side.....

 

[igopoopy]

change it before and just start it evry couple days
idk i live where you dont need antifreez

 

[Defiant]

idk i live where you dont need antifreez

The antifreeze isn't for freezing- it's to prevent electrolysis between the steel, iron, brass and aluminum in the cooling system, fight corrosion (metal and rubber), and to keep the water pump and radiator cap seals healthy.

 

[91awd]

I know it's probably a good idea to crack the windows while storing your car. But did any of you read the thread a while back about storing a car and then haveing spider nests inside your car when you go to drive it. Ever since reading that thread I always make sure my windows are up when I park my car for a couple of days in the garage . I was surprised by how many people had that problem.

 

[Defiant]

Spiders won't stop at windows. They'll use drain openings, wire passages, flow-thru vents and everything else.

If you're arachnophobic, leave a few moth balls in there.

 

[me612]

Spiders freak me out big time. In AZ where I was, there really weren't a lot of spiders except for tarantulas, and no way were they going to fit thru the cracks we left. I guess If I did live where there are spiders, I think I'd rather have to vacuum out some webs then have to replace a windshield. My Eclipse had a sunroof so that's what I'd crack open. I mean crack it just a hair, just so air can escape through there over time so you don't build up an extreme amount of pressure in there. AZ was really bad too because in the morning it'd be like maybe 50-60 outside when you got to work, then you'd close your doors and that cold air would be trapped inside. Then by noon it was 100 and if you didn't crack your windows, you were bound to loose a window eventually.

 

[BUCK]

I say BEFORE - ideally you would spin it but never let it fire (pull MPI Fuse) then park it.

 

[91awd]

Yea I remeber one time when I was little our family station wagon rear hatch window blew out because of too much pressure and it was just parked in the driveway.